(06-03-2021 12:25 PM)Wedge Wrote:  This article says that UNM, UNLV, and SDSU were told they had to respond asap, but not that they were threatened about others being invited in their place.

https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/...457199002/

Quote:Who would they ask to join them?

New Mexico — which like BYU, Utah and Wyoming had been a charter member of the WAC when it formed in 1962 — was an obvious choice. They needed two more. After much discussion, the group settled on San Diego State and UNLV.

They knew they had to work quickly, [Wyoming president] Dubois remembers, before anyone found out what they were up to and foiled the plan.

“We all felt it had to be done in a clandestine way,” Dubois said. “There was concern if political entities got involved, like the California General Assembly, that we wouldn’t be able to do it. We really did want a coup d’etat.

“… We ended up calling Steve Weber at San Diego State and Carol Harter at UNLV and Bill (Gordon) at New Mexico and inviting them in,” Dubois said. “It was kind of, ‘We need to hear from you by the end of the week or see you.’ ”

Another item from this article is that the 8 university presidents did this themselves without keeping their own athletic directors in the loop.

Quote:[CSU football coach] Lubick didn’t have any say in the decision. Even his athletic director, Tim Weiser, was caught by surprise over what the presidents had secretly done.

“I had no idea,” said Gary Ozzello, CSU’s long-time sports information director and now the school’s director of community outreach and engagement. “We got a call in May, Tim Weiser and me, and we were called to the president’s office. Dr. Yates said, ‘Here you go. Here’s the news release. We’re forming a new conference.’ ”

Re: the bold, the implication that they'd invite someone else if they didn't respond quickly was certainly there.